By PAUL GOTHAM
McQuaid’s patience was tested. Aquinas was content to absorb a flurry of haymakers. Just another contest in a longstanding series.
Facing the No. 3 team in the state which has outscored its opponents 29-1 through six games, Josh Gleason’s Aquinas Li’l Irish needed to adjust. Their scheme worked…sort of.
For nearly 35 minutes, Nino Pilato’s Jesuit Knights made themselves at home in the Aquinas end of the field while the Li’l Irish packed into a defensive shell.
What did McQuaid have show for their efforts? The sound of a ball ringing off cross bar and post along with a few oohs and ahh from the 250 or so on hand at Wegmans Athletic Complex.
That is until Dominic Duncan broke through in the 35th minute on a cross from Adriano Margiotta.
“We spoke about that before the game,” Pilato said about the possibility of the Li’l approach. “We knew they were going to play a little defensive. Josh is a good coach, and he had a good game plan.
“It’s always difficult playing here, having a rivalry game and making sure the boys stay patient.”
“We didn’t want to chase or go to the ball,” Gleason explained. “If you do that, they’re good enough and they’ll pull one piece after another out of the puzzle, and you’ll have nothing left.”
What Gleason did not account for in his plans was the possibility of losing one important piece for a brief period of time.
When Duncan gave chase in the open field, Li’l Irish goalkeeper Kyle Pero met him at the top of the 18-yard box with a sliding stop. Pero got the worst of the collision and after needing attention from the training staff on hand had to leave the game, per rules, for the final 2:36 of the half.
McQuaid took advantage. Josh LaFountain scored exactly one minute later for a 2-nil McQuaid advantage.
“If Kyle doesn’t get hurt, we go into halftime trailing 1-0,” Gleason noted. “I could live with that.”
Less than 10 minutes into the second half, McQuaid extended the lead to three on its way to a 5-0 victory to claim the 2017 Catholic Cup.
“They did what they had to do for about 40 minutes or so,” Pilato commented. “Finally, the boys finished their opportunities.”
Duncan slotted a pass to Dan Malloy in the box who redirected a shot past a diving Pero. The play started in the middle of the field where Brennan Brown controlled the ball and sprung Duncan on the right flank. The senior attacker showed a deft touch finding his teammate in the midst of the AQ defense.
Duncan’s impact on the game was obvious. A blend of speed and strength, he requires constant attention from opposing defenses.
“He’s tough,” Pilato said referring to the senior’s physical presence. “He’s strong on the ball. It’s difficult to mark him.”
The assist was Duncan’s first of the season to go with a team-high nine goals.
Jake LaLonde and Chris Manza added a goal apiece in the contest’s final six minutes. Vincenzo Capezzuto collected an assist on LaLonde’s goal
“They’re a great team,” Gleason said of McQuaid which also received votes in the USA Today national poll. “There’s no doubt about. We had a game plan and it was working.”
The shutout was the sixth this season for McQuaid. Tommy Gallina logged 70 plus minutes between the pipes on Saturday.
“The defense has been two years in the making,” Pilato said. “It’s the same guys from last year. Alex Reale has just been a rock winning every head ball, every 50/50 ball. Obviously he makes Tommy’s job a little easier.”
Pero made 15 saves for Aquinas.
McQuaid improved to 7-0. The Jesuit Knights host St. Francis (VI) Tuesday night. A 7 p.m. kickoff is scheduled.
Aquinas (4-3) travels to Batavia/Alexander for a 4:30 p.m. start on Wednesday.
Leave a Reply